New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-04
APPOINTMENTS.
SOME CHOSEN INSTRUMENTS OF REFORM"

President Cleveland has seen fit to make a large
number Of appointments and removals. lie mad
appointed just seven Territorial Judges when he
stated in q published letter that he had been de-
ceived into appointing who was morally and
professionally unfit" Within week five of the
seven were publicly named as answering The de-
scription, in the judgment Of people where they
lived and to whom they were best known
Three Of the five the President has since retired
for misconduct Whether his judicial appoint
ments were exceptionally unfortunate the f0low-
ing memoranda will help the public to judge A
list of such Objectionable appointments as have
met public censure lies before us. and has been
carefully corrected by examination OF files TO date'
as far as practicable, and by emitting charges OF
which subsequent refutatiOn or effective contra
diction has been discovered. Where person ap-
pointed has been publicly accused by Democratic
or other journals favorable 10 President Cleveland
which cannot have been prompted by partisan
hostility, and no correction has been found, the
statements are deemed worthy Of notice. The
list embraces:
who have been indicted convicted for various
crimes co
Others concerned in political crimes 10
Deserters.
Expelled United States Senate.
Disqualified for Office for violation OF oaths
Total ."
Besides these law-brealSers another appointee
not indicted was guilty Of gross assault and also
OF wfe-bcating was police officer discharged
for brutality 10 q woman three were tools OF per-
sons so disreputable that they could not themselves
hold Office three Others were shortly found con-
ccrncd in land jobs, and one was editor OF
rogues' flash paper These eighty-four may
be reclsoncd with the criminal class. but embrace
only cases which have become OF public notorlety
others not here mentioned are known In almost
every part OF the country.
Besides all these above enumerated, twenty
six others had violated law as rebels against tho
Government, but more than third Of President
Clcvelands appofntecs, it is probable. are OF that
class SIX more were either liquor sellers or
attorneys for the liquor interest who were never
theless appointed to enforce the internal rerenue
la,cs =,
Besides those already mentioned, siXty-onc
notorious poltical hacks are named and twenty
seven out Of thousands Of removals for political
reasons only.
Other appointments are mentioned because they
were groesquely unfit, such as the two OF heiley'
OF foreign Ministers whose conduct dlsgraccs the
country or whose habits are too convivial or
who league with jobbers in pressing claims against
the Government to which they are accredited. OF
old clothes dealer who took an office in settle
ment OF debt for campaign uniforms. of others
who paid office brokers cash for their offices, of
ono who was found crazy, who was kicked
into the street because he could find no bondsman,
several had made themselves objects OF public
rdicule and one appointed to be chief OF
division Of records spells wrongly eleven Words
ont Of ffty-six in a short letter. Ten cases Of
1agrant nepotism are also mentioned.
In numerous instances objections to persons
named were made known to the President before
their appointmcnts but were by him disregarded
because he chose to rely upon the ADVICE vi
nolitical friends Much more than ninctenths OF
the Objectionable appointments have been In place
Of trained. efficient and worthy officers, against
whom nothing was alleged except the 1act bhaO
they were Republicans and who were removed
SUSPENDED or forced to resign.
BY these steps it appears that more than nan
the officials IN the public service exclusive ol thc
Army and Navy, have within Two years Deen
changed while the appointments in place OF
officers whose terms have expired, Us lar as can
be ascertained seem not TO be more than thlrd
of the whole number made. In one department
only an official statement shows that In one fiscal
year 227l7 appointments were made. ana other
information seems to justify the conclusion that
in the two years thus far at least $4,000 per-
sons in oil the departments have been appoln'ed'
which is 9,OSS for each month, 30 ior each
working day, about 10 for each WORKING hour'
and I every six mnutes-throughout every
worL;no day from the 4th Of March, 1888, 10 the
ath ~ March, 1887, of this civil Service Re
form Administration"